Thanks to a viral TikTok sound, we all rediscovered the transformative powers of red blush this year. “What people don’t know is when I did Victoria’s Secret for years, they had to look very natural,” makeup artist and RMS founder Rose-Marie Swift said in a widely-circulated TikTok. “A lot of people always think it was pink. But it wasn’t—it was red.”

And just like that, red blush made its long-awaited comeback. The shade looks intimidating in the pan, but as Swift points out, it’s actually the color our cheeks flush naturally, so it’s become a go-to on the app and among celebs like Selena Gomez. And now, red blush is getting a holiday twist thanks to the app’s “candy cane” blush trend. Ahead, read on to learn more about candy cane blush, the TikTok-approved blush combo that’s as flattering as it is festive, and how to get the look.

The Trend

Creator Alissa Janay—the mastermind behind “sunset blush” and “pumpkin spice blush”—is also behind this viral blush hack. True to its name, candy cane blush is a vibrant combination of red liquid blush and pearly white liquid highlighter, applied in alternating dots like a candy cane. The end result is a luminous glow that adds a playful holiday flush to the cheeks—like you’ve been out in the cold, but in a chic way. Red blush already gives you that winter-kissed warmth, but adding highlighter into the mix adds a soft holiday-party-ready sparkle.

How to Get the Look

There are countless red blush and pearlescent highlighter combos, but TikTok’s favorite seems to be the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint in Flaming Red and the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Acqua Highlighter in Halo. Depending on your barometer for blush blindness, apply 2-3 dabs of the red blush and 2-3 dabs of the highlighter in alternating stripes for a lit-from-within flush.

If you’re feeling extra festive, apply the products in a candy cane pattern from the apples of the cheeks to the temples. For an extra pearly glaze, finish it off with a glitzy highlighter like Fenty’s Diamond Bomb.

Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint

$40 at Sephora

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

$25 at Sephora

Benefit Cosmetics High Beam Liquid Face Highlighter

$28 at Sephora

Lys Beauty Aim High Multi-Use Liquid Highlighter

View on Sephora

My Review

Take it from someone who has tried and tested several food-inspired blush combos in the past few months: this one is surprisingly wearable. Red blush can be intimidating, but mixing it with a pearly highlighter makes it all the more approachable. It’s cutesy, it’s versatile, and it’s festive—I can’t complain.